The couple were on their annual health checkup round. It was a once in a year routine that they had picked up some two decades ago, and continued regularly year after year thereon. Going to the designated or chosen hospital in the morning by giving up the day's ritual of consuming the regular morning coffee, waiting in the lines before each of the specified counters for registration, drawing of blood, x-ray, scanning, ECG and so on. There would be a line even before the complimentary breakfast counter (though there was nothing complimentary about it as the payment was included in the checkup package!) after the first blood sample was painfully drawn. They called it fasting blood, when actually the patients were fasting and the blood itself did not know about it. It remained red faced even after breakfast.
He remembered his younger days sitting or standing before the humble radio and listening to the cricket match commentaries. They were indeed wonderful days when each one listening to the radio could have his own imagination of how things went on in the field, unlike todays television viewing when all the millions watching it would see the same thing, and repeat it with each replay. As soon as the first wicket fell, the excited commentator, V M Chakrapani, Balu Alaganan, Pearson Surita or AFS (Bobby) Talyarkhan or someone of the same group (one never knew whether the excitement was genuine or generated only for the listeners) shouted "Chandra draws first blood for India" and so on. Chandra or Prasanna or Venkat or Bedi would draw many more bloods during the day, but here fortunately it was drawing blood only once more. Luckily, health checkup match itself concluded with just two blood drawings.
*****
The long waits at each point ended with a short encounter with the dealing staff, technician or doctor, only to adjourn to the next point. This continued till lunch time. The final halt was with a specialist doctor, who would by then have received the final scoresheet comprising the results of the various components of the checkup. By that time the patient would have run of patience, the dealing staff running out for lunch and the specialist himself or herself exhausted with the dose of work for the day. The last available counter staff member was always ready with a helping touch. "If you are tired and hungry, don't worry. Go and have your lunch. You can go home and relax and come back later in the evening. After all, all the tests are done and it is only consultation left now".
Now the choice was simple. Get out immediately and get in again in the evening. Or, hold on for another hour or so and finish the final painful encounter and be done with it. At the most, it can be one more stop at the hospital's pharmacy for collecting the new tablets prescribed after the new checkup. It is most likely that the pharmacist will say that some of the prescriptions were not available there, though the prescription is by their own doctors. He may even tell you, if questioned about this anomaly, that he just gave away the last strip to a customer a few minutes ago. You are welcome after two days by which time fresh supplies would have come, he would smilingly tell you. Alternatively, you are free to assume that you are the rightful owner of a rare disorder now, as the pharmacy does not have what you need. If you have the courage, try tell the doctor to first check with their own pharmacy and prescribe items that are available there, to simplify the matters.
*****
At the door of the specialists cabin, he wanted to check how his wife would like it to be handled. Long years of married life had taught him that it was always "Heads I win; Tails you lose" while dealing with wife. Better safe than to be sorry, was the unwritten remedy. "Should we go in?", he asked in the language they used at home, knowing well that the people around would not understand it, as it was not the language frequently spoken in that area.
Before the wife could respond, the voice from inside the doctor's cabin answered in the same language. "Yes. Please come in. I will go to lunch after attending to you". It was divine intervention as the decision was made by someone else.
As soon as the couple entered the doctor's cabin, the specialist spoke in the same language. She was smiling as they entered the cabin and seated themselves.
"We also speak the same language at home. It is my mother tongue too"
"Oh, that is so nice"
"There is a murmur in your heart. Did anyone tell you about it earlier?"
"No doctor. I always wanted someone to hear the "Dhadkan" of my Dil in my younger days. No one did. I am glad you could hear at least now!"
"I didn't hear the Dhadkan. I only heard the Murmur"
"Unfortunately, you are professionally trained only to hear the Murmurs"
They all had a hearty laugh. Then other things relating to the consultation went on. They learnt about "Murmur of the Heart" in detail.
*****
John Milton, considered as one of the greatest English authors, talks of a "Murmur" in his famous sonnet "On His Blindness". When he was confronted with blindness during a part of his life, he wrote that sonnet. "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?. I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent That Murmur, soon replies....." he goes on.
Milton's Murmur was in his brain and not the heart.
"Bhanware ki gunjan hai mera dil...." sang Kishore Kumar for Randhir Kapoor and Babita for the Raj Kapoor production film "Kal, Aaaj aur Kal". The film was released in 1971 and the leading pair got married the same year. It is not known whether the murmur in the heart had a role in the events.
But the "Murmur in the Heart" appears more for medical reasons than otherwise.
*****
We all know the purpose of having doors in buildings, furniture and the like. Doors provide space for movement, getting things in and out as and when desired. Doors can also be closed when not in use and thus protect the enclosed space from unwanted interference. "Closed door meeting" indicates that only certain persons are allowed to participate and undesirable ones are kept away. We have automatic doors that open and close using sensors. This has obviated the need to have "doormen", who were once considered a status symbol. There are doors that open both ways, and the ones that open to inside or outside. There are people who spend lavishly on decorated doors for their houses and offices, though the utility value remains the same.
There have been many inventions about doors, but the Lord appears to have every type of door in human body! As long as each of them are woking perfectly, one doesn't even remember them. With the slightest malfunction of one such door, all troubles start. From swallowing items in the mouth to keeping one's mouth shut when required, each door has to be working optimally for a healthy life. When there are unwanted deposits behind the doors, they do not open fully and thereby result in bringing down the efficiency of the respective parts in their function.
Some of these doors are in the heart. Some are called valves. Heart has chambers. The doors of these chambers keep opening and closing in a rhythm, allowing for blood to fill a chamber, and once filled push it out with force so that it can reach different parts of the body. Sometimes these doors and valves do not work properly. Experts identify many factors for such issues; ageing, life style, disorders from the time of birth itself and so on. When the doors or valves do not open fully and blood flows in the restricted space, it comes out with a hissing noise. A heart murmur is defined as a whooshing, blowing or rasping sound heard during heartbeats.
Valve Stenosis is such a condition when there is murmur which can be heard by the doctor using a stethoscope. Experts can even identify it without stethoscope in many cases. Doctors classify these stenosis cases as mild, moderate and severe. Severe stenosis diminishes quality of life due to feeling tired with even little exertion. Modren science has provided many surgical interventions to improve the conditions.
*****
There were many cases of deaths of relatively young in age due to heart issues in and around Hassan in Karnataka recently. Some even went to the extent of blaming it on the vaccination during Covid times. Experts have since clarified that this is not the reason for the deaths. However, there are many sudden deaths when youngsters are working out in Gyms, and many others with apparently no clear reason.
There is a reluctance on the part of many around us to have a medical checkup and seeking expert advice. It basically stems from the fear that approaching a medical professional leads to even more complications and wasteful expenditure. This approach leads to many more troubles. "Bhavitavyam Bhavatyeva" (whatever is going to happen, will happen!) is not a solution. Heart murmurs can lead to giddiness, fall and even strokes. Timely intervention avoid these dangerous consequences. Strokes result in serious impairment of quality of life and results in many different types of troubles for the person, as well as near and dear ones.
*****
Listen to the heart! Dil ki Dhadkan Suno. That "Murmur" is not to be ignored.
